Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be useful, to be loving, to make some difference in he world. While we appreciate such words of wisdom, we rarely try to follow them in our lives.
Most people prefer to live a good life themselves, ignoring their responsibilities for the world. This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering. A good life based on comfort and luxury may eventually lead to more pain be-cause we spoil our health and even our character, principles, ideals, and relationships.
What then, is the secret of a good life? A good life is a process, not a state of being : a direction, not a destination. We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness. More importantly, we must know ourselves inside out. Only when we examine ourselves deeply can we discover our abilities and recognize our limitations, and then work accordingly to create a better world.
The first requirement for a good life is having a loving heart. When we do certain right things merely as a duty, we find our job so tiresome that we’ll soon burn out. However, when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.
However, love alone is insufficient to lead a good life. Love sometimes blinds us to the reality. Consequently, our good intentions may not lead to good results. To achieve desired outcome, those who want to do good to others also need to equip themselves with accurate world knowledge. False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. If love is the engine of a car knowledge is the steering wheel( 方向盘 ). If the engine lacks power, th car can’t move; if the driver loses control of the steering, a road accident probably occurs. Only with love in heart and the right knowledge in mind can we lead a good life.
With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others. When we see the impact of our good work on the world we give meaning to our life and earn lasting joy and happiness.
51 ． What effect does the narrow perception of a good life have on us?
A ． Making us simple-minded B ． Making us short-signted.
C ． Leading us onto a busy road. D ． Keeping us from comfort and luxury.
52 ． According to the author, how can one gain true happiness?
A ． Through maintaining good health.
B ． By going through pain and suffering.
C ． By recognizing one’s abilities and limitations.
D ． Through offering help much needed by others.
53 ． According to Paragraph 4, doing certain right things with a loving heart makes one________.
A ． less selfish B ． less annoying
C ． more motivated D ． more responsible
54 ． In what case may good intentions fail to lead to desired results?
A ． When we have wrong knowledge of the world.
B ． When our love for the world is insufficient.
C ． When we are insensitive to dangers in life.
D ． When we stay blind to the reality.
55 ． According to Paragraph 5, life can be made truly good when ________.
A ． inspired by love and guided by knowledge
B ． directed by love and pushed by knowledge
C ． purified by love and enriched by knowledge
D ． promoted by love and defined by knowledge
B 52 ． D 53 ． C 54 ． A 55 ． A
【导语】本文是一篇议论文。文章主要论述了美好生活的秘诀是什么。人生的目的不是生而快乐，而是生而有益。
51 ．细节理解题。根据文章第二段 “This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering.( 这种对美好生活的狭隘看法可能会带来短期的好处，但肯定会导致长期的伤害和痛苦。 )” 可知，对美好生活的狭隘看法只能给我们带来短期的好处，所以时间长了会让我们目光短浅、短视。故选 B 项。
52 ．细节理解题。根据文章第三段 “We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness.( 我们必须先为他人服务而不求回报，因为他人的幸福是我们自己幸福的源泉。 )” 可知，我们能够从帮助他人获得真正的幸福。故选 D 项。
53 ．推理判断题。根据文章第四段 “However, when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.( 然而，当我们出于热爱做同样的工作时，我们不仅享受我们做的事情，而且也享受那种毫不费力的感觉。 )” 可知，带着热爱去做事会让人更加享受做这件事情；越享受做某件事，做事越有动力。故选 C 项。
54 ．推理判断题。根据文章第五段 “False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance.( 虚假的知识比无知更危险。 )” 可以推测出，当我们对世界有错误的认识的时候，就算意图良好，也可能导致不好的、违背预期的结局。故选 A 项。
55 ．细节理解题。根据文章最后一段 “With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others.( 带着爱和知识，我们全力以赴，通过对他人做好事来创造一个更美好的世界。 )” 可知，有爱和知识，生活就会变得更美好。故选 A 项。
56 ． Fierce./ Strong./ Violent. 57 ． No electricity./ The power failure./ There was no electricity./ Electricity was gone. 58 ． They cooked on the barbecue, sang, and counted down./ By cooking on the barbecue, singing, and counting down. 59 ． It was the most exciting one./ It was a night filled with laughter./ It was special./ Exciting./ Pleasant./ Unforgettable./ Joyful./ Different./ Memorable./ Unique. 60 ． It is courage, for it gives us strength, which enables us to deal with difficulties.
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |